GRADUATE ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Here is what Olivia’s nominator said about her:

“I write this recommendation in support of Olivia “Liv” Coppola and her nomination for Graduate Assistant of the Year within the Division of Student Affairs. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of working with Liv in her capacity as a graduate assistant in the Office of New Student Orientation.

From her initial interview with our office, it did not take long to observe the enthusiasm, amiability, and genuine support that Liv shares with those around her. Her magnetic personality naturally wins over those around her, and she has a remarkable self-awareness of her values, identities, and lived experiences, which shape the way that she behaves and communicates with her peers and students she interacts with. Not only is Liv incredibly intentional about the ways in which she builds community on campus, she is incredibly influential in the ways that she empowers others to discern and reflect about their experiences. As part of her responsibilities, Liv regularly leads student discussions about values, identity, and development within student training sessions, and regularly meets one-to-one with students to support them through periods of uncertainty and growth. From my perspective, it is clear that Liv leads from a place of empathy and kindness in her work with our students, and that she easily gains other’s trust in leadership, as evidenced by students she works with:

● To every student she works with, Liv is not only a Graduate Student Assistant, but also a mentor, example, and friend. We love to joke that I am her “mini me,” always wanting to follow in her footsteps because of the light she shines for others to follow her path. She has consistently been an inspiration to me because of her relentless work effort and dedication to bettering every space she is a part of. Beyond the 60 orientation leaders Liv has helped to shape over her three years at UGA, one can absolutely see her impact on the thousands of incoming students that have gotten to witness her influence through the orientation process. I am a better student leader because of my opportunity to know and learn from Liv. – Alex Audrain (Current Student)

● Working with Liv was and is an unforgettable experience. During the summer we worked alongside each other, she helped me grow so much personally and professionally. She went out of her way multiple times to assure that I was okay during stressful weeks, had my questions answered, and felt seen and supported regardless of the situation. Even after working with Liv, she continued to be a mentor for me by assisting me with all things graduate school. To this day I aspire to be more like Liv in my graduate position, someone who is kind, thoughtful, empathetic, and a great leader! – Zac Aaron (Former Student)

● I was blessed to have Liv as my grad intern for my Orientation Leader summer. During that summer, Liv became the friend and mentor that I didn’t know I needed. She supported me and gave me grace when I needed it. Liv has continued to be one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout my time at UGA as I navigated through the last few semesters of my undergraduate degree and now in my graduate degree. If anyone deserves this award, it is Liv because of her hard work and dedication to the incoming students and those already at UGA! – Kylie Wood (Former Student)

Prior to beginning her graduate assistantship, Liv had the opportunity to intern with our office over the summer. This speaks volumes about her character in terms of her drive and willingness to grow, and also demonstrates Liv’s capacity to think critically about her experiences and to (re)frame the opportunities afforded to her. Liv consistently exercises mindful and self-aware judgment and makes thoughtful, well-reasoned decisions that reflect a sound understanding of context. She seems to thrive when faced with a new challenge and is able to adjust quickly to any unexpected change. There were countless times during her summer internship when we presented Liv with a vague idea of what we hoped to accomplish, and she took the idea and saw it through to completion at a standard well above what one might expect from an undergraduate student transitioning to a new university. One of these opportunities was oversight of our social media platforms, which reach approximately 7000 followers. Liv exceeded our expectations with social media, and worked independently to generate and execute creative new approaches to the content that not only centered our brand, but increased engagement with our platform by upwards of 300% over the summer. Liv’s elevated work ethic and ability to reflect and discern in her experiences are consistent across her various spheres of influence and her drive to succeed in whatever she does is truly remarkable. She is always thinking five steps ahead and makes sure to use available time and capacity to plan in advance and effectively communicate. Liv has continued her diligent service of the New Student Orientation program through the past semester as one of two total staff members in our office during our transition from Undergraduate Admissions to the Division of Student Affairs. Even in moments where I have had to step away (such as a two week period when I was away from the office on my honeymoon), Liv has consistently stepped up to surpass the expectations of her role without missing a beat, and has maintained the high quality of our program. Campus partners and other supervisors consistently give her praise for her communication, timeliness, flexibility, and exceptional customer service:

● “It was a pleasure getting to supervise Liv as our inaugural NODA Graduate Intern at Santa Clara University in Summer 2023. Her expertise in event planning, student leader training and development, made her an exceptional addition to the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) team for our return to fully in-person programming since 2020. Through Liv’s efforts, she helped reimagine our orientation program, expanded upon student leader training curriculum, and streamlined event planning processes for future years. It is clear that the lasting impact Liv has made on the SCU campus is evident of the legacy she has and will leave on the UGA community, influencing so many other institutions across the country through her dedication and passion for the work of Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education.” – Andres Elvira (Former Supervisor)

During her time with our office, Liv has proven herself to be an extremely effective communicator and collaborator. Liv’s work in our office requires her to be in regular communication with campus partners to collaborate on various tasks. Whether it is helping to create, edit, and publish modules for our required pre-orientation virtual experiences; collaborating on digital videos/posts; or helping to review material for our Parent and Family Portal, Liv has consistently demonstrated her ability to collaborate with others at a high level. Further, Liv’s ability to communicate and collaborate brings her into spaces that expand beyond UGA’s campus, as demonstrated by her service on multiple committees and task forces at the national level. This past year, Liv was selected to work on the S3D Committee at the Southern Region VI Orientation Workshop. Over the course of six months, Liv regularly collaborated with professionals from across the region to plan this aspect of the conference, to communicate rules to participants, and also served as one of the cohosts during this portion of the conference. Further, other individuals also recognize Liv’s capacity to communicate, as she was recognized with the Best Problem-Solving award for Graduate Case Study at the NODA Annual Conference this past semester. Most recently, Liv has continued her service of NODA graduate students on the national scale through serving as one of the social media co-chairs in the Graduate Student Network, where she regularly creates and distributes content to over 1200+ graduate students on events, internships, and professional development opportunities. Ultimately, Liv is one of the most efficient, authentic, and empathetic communicators that I know.

I hope that my narrative and others’ insights have illustrated how Liv’s efforts as a graduate assistant demonstrate her steadfast commitment to excellence in her growth as a student and aspiring professional. I truly believe that Liv is more than deserving of this recognition and recommend her without reservation to this committee.”